Chilean earthquake unpleasant wake-up call for international student

By David Sorensen

A Chilean student living in St. John’s is encouraging friends
and colleagues to support the reconstruction of her country which
was severely damaged in the Feb. 27 earthquake that left as many as
1,000 dead.

Magdalena Ugarte, a master’s student who came from Santiago,
Chile, to study political science, said while Chile is a relatively
well-off country, the extent of the damage will require foreign aid
and years of reconstruction before life returns to normal.

The earthquake measured 8.8 on the Richter scale and was followed
by a tsunami. Nearly two million people have been affected by the
extensive damage to infrastructure, disruption of power and
telecommunications.

Of course, Ms. Ugarte’s first concern was her family in
Santiago. While phone lines and electricity were down throughout
the country, she was able to contact them using a combination of
social media and modern communications.

“My family didn't have telephone lines but had Internet back
very soon so they were able to call me to my Skype because I'm
always online,” she said. “I was very grateful for
communications technologies which before had been for fun or
getting in touch in a more informal way ... all those platforms
have been absolutely useful for getting touch with relatives within
Chile.”

Once she knew her family was safe, her thoughts turned to other
relatives and friends throughout the country. Once she understood
the magnitude of the quake, she also worried about her the future
of her country.

“I know that earthquakes are something that you can expect in
a country like Chile. But while I was talking to my mom I realized
that it was a horrible earthquake. I was concerned, of course, at
the beginning … and then concerned about other people
because being here, so far, and not being in touch with people it
is always concerning when something like this happens.”

Knowing there was a large Chilean community in Canada, she sought
out and found a channel through which people could funnel relief
funds.

The Embassy of Chile in Ottawa opened a bank account and funds will
be transferred to the National Emergency and Information Office
(ONEMI) in Chile. The account is available at ScotiaBank, account
number 40006 01408 13.
The Canadian Red Cross is also receiving donations through its
website, www.redcross.ca.